Celebrity travel outfits can go a few ways. They can be a cut-and-sewn embodiment of wanderlust, like Kendall Jenner's sheer Khaite dress for a Mallorca cruise. They can stack trends, like Jennifer Lawrence's double denim and mesh flats moment for a trip to the airport. Or they can make closet staples feel like a fashion leap with a precisely chosen colorway, like Katie Holmes's wide-leg white jeans.
En route home from a weekend away, Holmes walked through New York City's SoHo neighborhood on Tuesday, June 4, in a travel outfit with her signature undone ease—plus a pant shade some risk-averse dressers might consider brave for a day of travel (and all the wardrobe mishaps that can come with it). The look started with a butter yellow T-shirt and a canvas weekender bag with leather trim—two pieces you'd expect to see in the boarding area of any major airport or on the Hampton Jitney. Her pants, however, were a departure from the usual travel fare. Holmes wore stark white jeans that, at least where this clumsy editor is concerned, would be a magnet for airplane tray spills and subway scuffs in transit. The same goes for her fresh and clean weekender by Tusting.
But Holmes is a personal style deity come down to Earth, and from the looks of it, her white jeans were fresh-off-the-store-shelf pristine. (Exactly which store remains to be seen—tags for her outfit haven't been identified yet, but this post will be updated when they are.)
Holmes dialed down her accessories in neutral tones, letting her bold white jeans and matching bag do all the work. She coordinated a pair of tortoiseshell sunglasses with dainty black ballet flats (and, maybe unintentionally, a black hair tie around her wrist).
Holmes's white jeans are wide enough that they may be as comfortable as plane, train, or car sweatpants. They're also another vote for one of 2024's biggest denim trends. Extra wide-leg, slouchy styles were a runway standout from Ganni to Valentino; after the catwalks in Paris wrapped up, similar puddle jeans made their way to the wardrobes of Jennifer Lopez and Jennifer Lawrence.
White jeans can sometimes feel like a gamble (or at least, a beacon for unwanted stains). If Holmes's tonal travel outfit has anything to say about it, they're just as versatile as sweatpants or leggings.
Preparing for the launch of her A.P.C. collection earlier this week, Holmes told me her personal style North Star is looking and feeling "normal." And yes, her definition includes stark white denim.
